Credibility and the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web, which is primarily a communications medium with computing capabilities, has many unique qualities that merit consideration, separate from the device-oriented nature of the computer itself.
Returning to an earlier concept, it is clear to users that the Web consists of a variety of sites that are developed by others for the purpose of communicating with them - so it is more in the nature of a technology through which people communicate with other people rather than a technology with which people interact in a more direct fashion, and the credibility of the Web is more related to the credibility of the individual or organization who operates a Web site or provides information on the Internet, more so than the characteristics of the Web itself.
Since the Web has become a commercial medium, persuasion is a key factor. Most sites define "success" through their ability to influence the behavior of site visitors, either to make a purchase of a product or simply to visit the site regularly to contribute to advertising revenues, and it is very easy for a potential customer or visitor to leave a site and visit another.
The Importance of Web Credibility
Of all the factors that contribute to influence, credibility is a key factor. It is simple to operate a Web site anonymously, which has made it a popular medium for fraud (deception with a profit motive) and hoaxes (deception for entertainment, often at the embarrassment of others).
While some companies are "pure" Web firms, many established firms operate a Web site, and they gain an advantage of transferring credibility from their existing operations to the new channel. However, even this is not infallible, as many fraudsters have learned that they can leverage this trust by posting sites that mimic known brands, often exploiting a typographic error in the address or using hidden e-mail links to lure victims into mistaking them for the "real" thing, and this has to some degree undermined trust in known brands.
Two Sides of Web Credibility
Credibility can be assessed from the perspective of both the Web user and the site operator.
For the Web user, they assess the credibility of a site in deciding whether to trust the information presented and engage in interaction with a given site.
It is also necessary for a Web site operators to trust its users, are there is also widespread fraud that targets sites, whether the user is attempting to obtain goods or services without making payment, or using a site that allows the user to present information in order to publish false information under the Web site's aegis (which is common in securities fraud).
Trustworthiness and Expertise
As with the general concept of credibility discussed in the previous chapter, the assessment of credibility on the Web is based on the dimensions of trustworthiness and expertise.
For most sites, correlation to the site operator is a factor in credibility: a site that lists the operators contact information (physical address, e-mail address, and phone number) is considered more trustworthy than one that withholds this information or is operated in an anonymous fashion. However, there has been some decrease in the value of this factor over time. Having a domain name that does not match the name of the company that operates the site decreases trustworthiness, and this factor has not decreased over time.
For informational Web sites, trustworthiness is also granted to sites that provide citations and references for the information they provide and provide links to external materials and sources, which allow the user to verify the accuracy of the site content, though this has also decreased over time. However, a site's credibility may be decreased if it links to other Web sites that the user does not feel to be credible.
The use of advertisements decreases the trustworthiness of a site, particularly where advertising overwhelms content, advertisements "pop up" over the original content of the page, or the user has difficulty distinguishing between ads and "real" content. This is because advertising is a distraction, and is seen as an attempt on the part of the site operator as a kind of deception (the user followed a link that promised information, but their first experience of the page was advertising content). The damage done to credibility by the inclusion of advertising has increased over time.
In regard to expertise, the top factors that increase Web site credibility are transactional: whether a site enables the user to contact the operator with questions (and response quickly) and whether an e-mail message is sent to confirm transactions. (EN: This seems more related to responsiveness than the credibility of a site, and would also seem to be more related to trustworthiness than expertise). There has been a slight decrease in this factor over time.
Users also indicate that they are more inclined to rely upon the expertise of a Web site that looks professionally designed, allows the user to navigate freely (by use of search engines), contains up to date information, retains an archive of past content, and lists the credentials of the authors of each article.
There is also a principle of fulfillment: when a user has a positive experience with a Web site, in that it fills their needs in a manner that meets their expectations, they are more inclined to regard the site as having expertise.
Users also expect a site to be well maintained. Factors such as outdated content, broken links, typographical errors, functional errors, and Web site outages suggests a lack of attention to detail, and can be detrimental to the users' perception of expertise.
A bit more attention is given to the need for informational updates: users generally consider the degree to which the content of a Web site is perishable. Some information is considered valid regardless of age, whereas other information is expected to be updated frequently.
Four Types of Web Credibility
The author refers to the four types of credibility discussed in the previous chapter: presumed, reputed, surface, and earned.
Presumed credibility for Web sites largely stems from its association with a known organization. A site whose domain name corresponds to a familiar brand tends to gain (or lose) from the credibility of the brand. There is also a tendency to grant greater credibility to sites with a dot-com domain name (or a dot-org for nonprofits) than to the various other top-level domains (domain names ending in "tv" or "info" or other variants have less presumed credibility, to the point that they are presumed not to be official).
The author also lists two other factors as presumed credibility that might be more accurately ascribed to surface credibility, as they depend on the user's evaluation of the content after visiting the site rather than anything that is known beforehand: a site that links to external sites, especially those of competitors, is thought to be more credible; and a site that declares itself to be "the official site" for a specific organization or topic was once regarded as more credible, but this no longer holds true (the users recognize that a fraudulent site can just as easily place those same words on its home page).
Reputed credibility is garnered by a Web site that is linked to by other sites that the user feels to be credible, as well as to sites that are recommended to them by people they know. (EN: The author makes oblique, but not direct, mention of references from people they know online as opposed to in "real" life). Certifications and awards were seen as slightly increasing credibility in the past, but their current effect is negligible, as many awards are meaningless, and "certification" has no authority or reliability (fraudulent sites have used certification logos and falsified endorsements).
Surface credibility, which deals with early impressions, is largely influenced by "professional" design and the absence of glaring errors (functional and typographical). Ease of access is another factor, with respondents indicating less confidence in a site that qualities such as an unusually long download time or requirement to register to access content. As noted earlier, advertising is also detrimental to credibility.
Earned credibility is referred to as the "gold standard" of Web credibility: when a user is able to accomplish their goals with minimal effort, the site earns credibility and makes the subject more inclined to revisit the site and refer their acquaintances. Key factors are ease of use, personalization and customization, and responsiveness in both the immediate experience and the timeliness of precipitating responses (confirmation e-mail, delivery of product)
Web Credibility Factors
There are three key factors in the consideration of Web credibility that are intrinsic to the site itself: the operator, the content, and the design.
The operator is the organization or person whom the user believes to be in control of the site. Users grant greater credibility when the operator is a recognized and respected organization, when the operator is a nonprofit organization or declares and demonstrates motives that are not commercial, the site provides evidence of the operator's real-world existence (photographs and contact information), and where the operator provides clear policies for its operation and the subject's use of the site.
The content pertains to the information that the site contains (up to date information with an indication of the author's credentials) as well as the functionality (the site is free of errors, provides capabilities that the user needs or values, and the site links to outside sources).
The design of a site is considered in four dimensions: the information design (content is arranged in a sensible way and advertising is clearly differentiated from content), technical design (the site functions properly and responds in an expected manner), aesthetic design (the site design seems "professional" and the content is of high quality, particularly photographs and video), and interaction design (procedures are clear and the site sets and then fills expectations in each step of a process).
Web Credibility Grid
The author uses a matrix that places the four types of credibility in columns and the three credibility factors in rows to schematize the credibility of a Web site. Such a grid can be used to analyze the credibility of a Web site and to identify areas in which attention is needed.
Future Research and Design
The author notes that the research done in Web credibility has been high-level and exploratory, and that the topic is largely uncharted territory, leaving opportunities for those interested in "creating new knowledge," though research efforts will be complicated by a number of factors.
There is difficulty in approaching research from a purely academic perspective, as credibility varies according to the individual, the Web site, and the specific task that the user may be seeking to accomplish in a given instance. As such, research that is conducted on one demographic segment's use of a particular site for a particular purpose may not have much relevance to other combinations.
Web credibility is also a moving target, as the demographics of the Web are changing, users are constantly gaining experience and familiarity, and technology continues to advance. The studies the author conducted demonstrated marked differences over a short period of time, so the results of any research will likely be perishable.
As such, the most productive research that can be done at the present time is conducted in the private sector, where the operator of a given site seeks to gain a better understanding of the operator's own Web site, target market, and the presumed purposes of both. Since this information contributes to competitive advantage, it is unlikely to be made available for academic scrutiny.